*netructious 


to  the 

MISSIONARIES  ABOUT  TO  EMBARK 


FOR  THE 


AND  TO  THE 


Jev.  Messrs.  WILLIAM  GOODELL,  & ISAAC  BIRD, 


ATTACHED  TO  THE 


Palestine  i&feiiton: 


J1BIIVEREB  Br  THE 


CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY 


CAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS, 


BOSTON': 

CHOCKER  AND  BREWSTER,  NO.  50,  CORNHIEI. 

1823. 


JrttStrUCttOUS 


TO  THE 


MISSIONARIES  ABOUT  TO  EMBARK 


FOR  THE 


AND  TO  THE 

Rev.  Messrs.  WILLIAM  GOODELL,  & ISAAC  BIRD, 


ATTACHED  TO  THE 


Palestine  ^Rtssion: 

DEUVEHED  BI  THE 

CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY 


OF  THE 


AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 


BOSTON: 

CHOC  KE  U AND  BHEWSTEH,  NO.  50,  COIlNBIEIu 

1823. 


r ♦ 


INSTRUCTIONS 


OP  THE  PRUDENTIAL  COMMITTEE  TO  THE  MISSIONARIES  ABOUT  TO  EM- 
BARK FOR  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS,  IN  THE  SHIP  THAMES,  DELIVERED 
BY  THE  CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY,  IN  THE  MIDDLE  BRICK  CHURCH, 
NEW  HAVEN,  ON  MONDAY  EVENING,  NOV.  18,  1822. 


DEARLY  EELOVED  BRETHREN  OF  THE  MISSION  FAMILY, 

Having  devoted  yourselves  for  life  to  the  service  of  Christ 
among  the  heathen,  you  are  convened  in  this  city  to  embark  for 
the  field  of  labor,  which  has  been  assigned  you,  and  upon  which 
your  eyes  have  been  fixed  with  earnest  desire  and  fond  anticipa- 
tions. On  the  morrow  you  expect  to  commence  your  voyage  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  there  to  be  united  with  the  beloved  brethren 
who  have  preceded  you,  and  who  have  been  importunately  call- 
ing for  fellow-laborers. 

\ our  object  is  the  greatest,  which  can  employ  human  agency. 
^ ou  go  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  as  heralds  to  those,  who  never,  till 
lately,  heard  of  Christ  as  a Savior;  who  never  listened  to  the 
offers  of  pardon,  nor  had  any  just  conceptions  of  themselves  as  im- 
mortal beings,  or  of  God  as  the  moral  Governor  of  the  universe. 

On  such  an  occasion,  assembled  in  this  house  of  prayer,  surround- 
ed by  a multitude  of  your  Christian  friends,  who  take  the  liveliest 
interest  in  the  success  of  your  mission  and  in  your  personal  wel- 
fare, your  will  receive  with  peculiar  sensations  the  last  counsels 
and  instructions,  which  the  Prudential  Committee,  speaking  in  the 
name  and  behalf  of  the  Christian  community,  will  ever  be  able  to 
give  with  the  living  voice.  These  parting  counsels  you  will  re- 
gard as  the  result  of  a truly  paternal  solicitude  for  you  as  individ- 
uals, and  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  in  which  you  are  en- 
gaged. 


4 


Permit  me  here  to  refer  you  to  the  instructions,  delivered  three 
years  ago  to  Messrs.  Bingham  and  Thurston,  and  their  associates, 
when  about  to  lay  the  foundations  of  the  mission  to  which  you  are 
assigned.  These  instructions  were  drawn  up  with  great  care  and 
ability,  with  great  wisdom  and  unction,  by  the  late  lamented  Cor- 
responding Secretary;  and  there  is  not  a word  in  them,  which  the 
Committee,  after  their  experience  respecting  this  mission,  would 
wish  to  have  altered.  Several  topics,  there  discussed  at  some 
length,  need  not  be  introduced  here. 

A subject  of  prime  importance  to  the  success  of  any  combined 
exertions  is  the  preservation  of  union  among  those  who  labor  together- 
Our  Savior  has  laid  it  down  as  a fundamental  principle,  of  univer- 
sal application,  that  a house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand. 
This  principle  is  to  be  kept  continually  in  view,  by  all  who  take 
part  in  missionary  operations.  A holy  union  of  heart,  of  enter- 
prise, of  labor,  is  to  be  cultivated  by  every  practicable  method. 
Among  the  means  of  carrying  on  this  spiritual  cultivation,  the  fol- 
lowing are  thought  worthy  of  particular  consideration. 

If  you  wish  always  to  be  of  one  heart  and  one  mind,  you  will 
aim,  in  the  first  place,  to  become  eminent  for  piety.  This  is,  indeed, 
the  grand  ingredient  in  every  truly  excellent  character;  but  it 
operates,  with  peculiar  efficacy,  to  bring  together  and  hold  togeth- 
er all  who  live  under  its  divine  influence.  As  God  is  the  centre 
of  all  perfection,  and  the  source  of  all  beneficent  action,  they  who 
live  near  to  God  cannot  live  at  a distance  from  each  other.  As 
God  is  love,  they  who  enjoy  communion  with  him,  cannot  but  co- 
operate most  cheerfully  and  harmoniously  in  every  labor  of  love. 
When  piety  gains  the  ascendency,  all  the  elements  of  disunion  are 
controlled,  if  not  rendered  inoperative,  or  utterly  extinguished. 
Aspire,  then,  to  such  attainments  in  piety,  as  shall  lift  you  above 
those  little  interests,  which  may  endanger  the  peaceful  and  united 
prosecution  of  your  w’ork. 

Secondly,  the  eager  pursuit  of  a great  common  object  is  a strong 
bond  of  union.  Such  an  object,  worthy  of  your  most  strenuous 
and  unremitted  efforts,  is  ever  before  you.  The  conversion  and 
salvation  of  the  islanders  to  whom  you  are  sent — to  be  accomplish- 
ed, so  far  as  human  agency  is  concerned,  by  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  the  establishment  of  the  schools,  and  all  the  means  of  im- 
parting religious  knowledge, — furnish  an  object  of  sufficient  mag- 
nitude to  claim  your  greatest  exertions.  Keep  this  in  view,  as  a 


goal  to  which  you  should  be  advancing  with  quick  and  regular 
steps.  In  your  most  retired  meditations,  as  well  as  your  confer- 
ences with  each  other,  let  the  question  often  recur;  “How  shall 
we  do  most  for  the  object  of  our  desires  and  hopes?  How  shall 
these  perishing  immortals  be  saved?  By  what  new  and  more  effec- 
tual process  can  their  consciences  be  enlightened,  their  hearts  af- 
fected, and  their  lives  adorned  by  the  practice  of  Christian  virtue? 
How  shall  the  power  of  sinful  habit  be  counteracted,  and  that  great 
moral  change  be  produced,  which  is  forcibly  described  in  the 
Scriptures  as  a death  unto  sin  and  a life  unto  righteousness?” 

By  inquiries  such  as  these,  and  by  corresponding  efforts,  you  may 
hold  the  success  of  your  joint  labors  in  so  prominent  a view,  that 
your  common  object  shall  cast  into  the  shade  all  other  objects  on 
this  side  of  heaven.  Especially  will  this  be  the  case,  if,  by  extra- 
ordinary vigor  and  diligence,  you  make  visible  progress  in  your 
work.  Let  this  be  your  constant  aim  and  your  high  endeavor. 

Again,  it  will  greatly  conduce  to  your  proceeding  in  your  voca- 
tion with  united  counsels,  if  you  cultivate  the  most  endeared  person- 
al friendship , founded  on,  religious  principle.  By  friendship  we 
here  mean  something  very  different  from  what  the  world  dignifies 
with  this  name;  and  something  very  different,  also,  from  the  mere 
charitable  opinion,  concerning  each  other,  that  you  are  sincere 
Christians.  We  mean  something,  which  will  induce  you  to  desire 
each  other’s  happiness  with  the  tenderest  concern; — to  improve 
each  other's  good  qualities,  and  regard  such  improvement  as  a 
common  gain; — to  aid  each  other  in  removing  any  defects  of  char- 
acter, which  may  be  apparent; — especially  those,  which  seem  to 
be  at  variance  with  the  employment  of  a missionary; — to  watch 
over  each  other  as  Christians,  as  fellow-laborers,  in  a most  impor- 
tant field,  as  persons  destined,  with  the  favor  of  Providence,  to  lay1 
the  foundations  of  Christian  society  in  many  a dark  neighborhood. 
Consider  not  such  an  oversight  as  an  irksome  restraint,  but  rather 
as  a delightful  duty,  a mean  of  spiritual  advancement;  a source  of 
happiness  here,  and  a preparation  for  future  glory.  Let  your  con- 
fidence in  each  other  be  entire  at  the  commencement,  and  let  the 
result  show,  that  such  confidence  was  deserved,  and  that  it  remain- 
ed, as  time  elapsed  and  it  was  put  to  the  test,  not  only  unimpaired, 
but  strengthened  and  confirmed. 

True  Christian  watchfulness,  however  strict  and  faithful,  will 
never  diminish  the  care,  which  each  maintains  over  his  own  soul. 


G 


Tar  otherwise1 — it  prompts  to  self-examination,  to  self-denial,  to  a 
holy  emulation  in  regard  to  the  possession  of  those  virtues,  which 
it  urges  upon  others.  As  it  springs  from  the  purest  benevolence, 
its  universal  tendency  is  salutary. 

By  cultivating  the  friendship,  which  is  here  recommended,  you 
will  arrive  at  that  desirable  point  in  Christian  experience,  where 
each  will  think  little  concerning  his  own  things,— much  concern- 
ing the  things  of  others, — but  most  of  all  concerning  the  things  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Another  powerful  mean  of  promoting  union  is  to  entertain  a salu- 
tary dread  of  division.  To  a person  little  acquainted  with  the  his- 
tory of  men,  and  of  Christians,  it  would  seem  unnecessary,  or  im- 
proper, even  to  allude  to  the  possibility  of  disunion  among  those, 
who  are  embarked  in  the  most  glorious  and  beneficent  of  causes,  and 
w'ho  are  held  together  by  so  many  bonds,  which  would  seem  in- 
dissoluble. But  if  we  look  into  the  New  Testament,  wre  every 
where  find  exhortations  to  peace,  to  unity,  to  br  Iierlv  love, 
and  dissuasives  from  strife,  and  division.  ^Vhat  does  all  this  impty, 
but  that  men  generally,  and  even  the  best  of  men,  are  in  danger 
of  suffering  from  divided  counsels  and  divided  efforts; — from  alien- 
ation of  affection,  the  fruitful  parent  of  a thousand  evils?  As  truly 
converted  persons  may  be  said  to  persevere  through  a salutary 
dread  of  falling  away,  you  may  very  properly  stimulate  yourselves 
to  a closer  union  by  considering  how  melancholy  and  disastrous  it 
would  be,  if  your  enjoyment  should  be  marred  by  division;  or  by 
a coolness,  which  should  neutralize  your  exertions,  and  quench 
your  zeal. 

Should  this  unhappily  be  the  case,  it  obviously  could  not  be  con- 
cealed from  the  people  among  whom  you  labor;  nor  from  the  nu- 
merous visitors  at  the  islands;  nor  from  your  friends  in  this  coun- 
try; nor  from  the  Christian  public  of  Europe  and  America;  nor 
from  the  enemies  and  opposers  of  missions.  Mow  deplorable  such 
a result  would  be  your  own  feelings  will  represent  more  forcibly 
than  words  can  do. 

That  you  may  justly  estimate  this  subject,  be  much  conversant 
with  the  writings  of  Paul,  that  illustrious  missionary  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, who  was  fitted  by  long  personal  experience  and  by  teachiugs 
of  the  Spirit,  to  point  out  all  the  dangers  to  w:hich  you  arc  expos- 
ed, and  to  be  your  guide  as  the  preachers  to  an  unevangelized 
people.  Let  such  exhortations  as  the  following  be  deeply  engrav- 


7 


cn  on  your  hearts:  “If  (here  be  therefore  any  consolation  in  Christy 
if  any  comfort  of  love,  if  any  fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  if  any  bow- 
els and  mercies,  fulfil  ye  my  joy,  that  ye  be  like-minded,  having 
the  same  love,  being  of  one  accord,  of  one  mind.  Let  nothing  be 
done  through  strife  or  vain  glory;  but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each 
esteem  other  better  than  himself.  Look  not  every  man  on  his 
own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  tin'  things  of  others.  Do  all 
things  without  murmurings  and  disputing#;  that  ye  may  be  blame- 
less and  harmless,  the  sons  of  God  without  rebuke,  in  the  midst  ot 
a crooked  and  perverse  nation,  among  whom  ye  shine  as  lights  in 
the  world.” 

The  description  in  the  clause  last  quoted  is  eminently  true  of 
every  heathen  people.  However  they  may  differ  as  to  tempera- 
ment, habits,  and  manners,  in  regard  to  spiritual  objects  they  are 
all  crooked  and  perverse.  Among  such  people  it  is  peculiarly  ne- 
cessary, that  you  should  indeed  sltine  as  lights , casting  a mild  and 
heavenly  radiance  all  around  you,  and  dispelling  the  darkness 
of  ages.  But  how  can  this  be  expected,  unless  you  are  most  cor- 
dially united  among  yourselves,  and  most  tenderly  attached  to  each 
other?  Marching  forward  to  the  spiritual  conflict  under  one  steady 
impulse,  and  keeping  your  eyes  fixed  on  the  Captain  of  your  sal- 
vation, the  victory  is  sure;  but  if  your  ranks  are  broken,  and  your 
attention  diverted  from  your  Leader,  your  force  will  be  destroyed, 
and  a complete  overthrow  can  hardly  he  avoided. 

Let  it  then  be  resolved,  and  let  the  divine  blessing  be  invoked 
upon  the  solemn  resolution,  that  as  children  of  God,  as  missiona- 
ries to  the  heathen,  as  fellow-laborers  in  the  same  field,  you  arc 
one; — one  in  purpose, — one  in  affection, — in  action  one. 

Thus  will  you  be  prepared  to  enter,  with  the  proper  spirit  of 
missionaries,  into  the  necessities  of  the  people  to  whose  benefit 
your  lives  arc  devoted. 

These  people  you  will  find  in  the  greatest  possible  want  of  in- 
struction. Though  they  burned  their  idols,  and  discarded  their 
odious  and  abhorred  supcrtilions,  before  the  first  missionaries  reach- 
ed their  shores, — an  event  altogether  unprecedented  in  the  histo- 
ry of  man, —their  minds  are  still  in  utter  darkness  as  to  religion; 
their  hearts  arc  under  the  inllucnce  of  depraved  passion,  and  their 
lives  are  deformed  by  gross  vices.  Painful  indeed  it  is,  to  behold 
any  portion  of  our  race  in  such  a debasing  subjection  to  the  god 
ol  this  world.  But  we  are  not  to  shrink  from  a knowledge  of  the 


/ 


8 


true  state  of  things,  when  that  knowledge  is  essential  to  the  besc 
performance  of  our  duty. 

Though  your  brethren  already  in  the  field  have  communicated 
some  general  notions  of  God,  of  Providence,  and  of  the  Gospel, 
to  a few  individuals  around  them;  yet  the  mass  of  the  inhabitants 
you  must  expect  to  see  stilly  reclaming  without  God  and  without 
hope.  Some  preparations  may  have  been  made  toward  convey- 
ing instruction, both  by  means  of  interpreters  and  in  their  own  lan- 
guage; but  the  progress  of  divine  truth  among  pagans,  speaking  a 
strange  tongue,  and  not  even  having  any  language  adapted  to 
moral  subjects,  must  be  slow  at  first.  You  must  therefore  consid- 
er, that,  so  far  as  the  arduousness  of  the  work  is  regarded,  you 
and  your  brethren  are  yet  to  commence  the  business  of  general 
instruction.  Before  any  great  results  can  be  expected,  the  rudi- 
ments of  moral  truth  must  be  conveyed  to  the  minds  of  multitudes; 
the  conscience  is  to  be  formed  and  enlightened;  the  heart  is  to  be 
assailed  by  the  simple,  yet  commanding,  motives  of  the  Gospel. 
Man's  native  sinfulness  and  wretchedness  are  to  be  fairly  exhibited; 
the  pardon  of  sin  is  to  be  proclaimed;  the  love  of  Christ  display- 
ed;— the  atonement,  with  all  its  blessings,  described; — and  the  des- 
tinies of  eternity  presented  to  the  mind.  Your  reliance  on  the 
pure  doctrines  of  revelation  must  be  firm  and  undeviating.  No 
other  doctrines,  no  other  moral  process  but  the  preaching  of  these 
doctrines,  will  ever  prove  a remedy  for  the  diseases  of  the  soul. 

In  your  intercourse  with  the  natives  of  the  islands,  you  will  la- 
bor to  convince  them  that  you  are  their  real  friends.  This  you 
will  do,  not  by  declarations  and  professions  merely,  or  principally; 
but  by  unwearied  labors  for  their  good.  It  is  an  established  prin- 
ciple in  the  Providence  of  God  that  men  will  at  length  be  affected 
by  disinterested  kindness.  None  are  so  low  in  the  scale  of  intel- 
lect,— none  are  so  barbarous  in  their  manners  or  disposition, — as 
not  to  know  the  proofs  of  genuine  friendship.  False  views  may 
be  entertained  at  first;  interested  persons  may  excite  prejudice; 
having  been  often  deceived  may  induce  caution  and  jealousy; — but 
a long  course  of  beneficence  will  bear  an  irresistible  testimony  to 
its  own  excellence.  Among  the  most  untutored  people,  individu- 
als will  be  found,  who  are  shrewd  observers  of  human  conduct, 
and  have  a keen  discernment  of  character  and  motives.  The  way 
to  secure  the  confidence  of  these  natural  leaders,  is  to  feel  an  earn- 
est desire  for  their  good,  and  the  good  of  their  people; — to  labor 


9 


patiently,  unremittingly,  and  with  increasing  zeal  for  this  object; — 
and  to  show,  in  the  expressive  language  of  the  apostle,  that  you 
seek  not  theirs , but  them. 

You  are  to  abstain  from  all  interference  with  the  local  and  po- 
litical views  of  the  people.  The  kingdom  of  Christ  is  not  of  this 
world;  and  it  especially  behooves  a missionary  to  stand  aloof  from 
the  private  and  transient  interests  of  chiefs  and  rulers.  Inculcate 
the  duties  of  justice,  moderation,  forbearance,  truth,  and  universal 
kindness.  Do  all  in  your  power  to  make  men  of  every  class  good, 
wise  and  happy. 

Let  it  be  apparent,  also,  that  you  have  nothing  to  do  with  traffic, 
or  gain;  that  far  nobler  objects  brought  you  from  your  native 
land;  and  that  you  regard  all  that  the  world  has  to  offer  as  of  very 
little  value,  compared  with  the  salvation  of  a single  soul.  In  any 
discussions  or  claims  concerning  property,  whether  the  persons 
interested  be  natives  or  foreigners,  take  no  part.  This  may  be  a 
subject  of  very  considerable  importance,  in  the  present  state  of 
things  at  the  islands,  where  you  are  to  reside. 

To  visitors  and  occasional  residents,  whether  from  this  country 
or  any  other,  show  yourselves  kind,  affable,  and  obliging.  Concili- 
ate their  esteem  by  the  usefulness  of  your  lives.  Give  no  occa- 
sion for  any  report,  unfavorable  to  the  work  to  which  you  are  de- 
voted; and  if  your  designs  should  be  misrepresented,  or  even  your 
characters  defamed,  you  need  be  under  no  apprehension,  lest  God 
should  fail  to  vindicate  your  cause. 

Nothing  will  so  speedily  convince  the  natives  of  the  excellence 
of  your  mission,  as  a laborious  attention  to  its  appropriate  duties. 
Untutored  people  are  almost  universally  idle  in  their  habits,  prod- 
igal of  time,  and  prone  to  dissipation  of  almost  every  kind.  A life 
of  industry,  therefore,  spontaneously  exerted,  and  persevered  in 
from  motives  of  public  utility,  is  to  them  a singular  phenomenon; 
and  one  which  makes  a striking  impression  upon  their  minds.  Be 
urgent,  then,  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  in  teaching  the  young,  and 
in  every  branch  of  useful  labor,  which  your  various  faculties  and 
acquirements  may  enable  you  to  accomplish.  You  will  feel  that 
no  time  is  to  be  lost.  Even  now,  almost  while  l am  speaking,  in- 
telligence is  received,  that  your  services  are  imperiously  demand- 
ed; that  your  arrival  will  be  hailed  as  the  signal  for  new  es- 
tablishments; that  the  schools  are  increasing;  that,  on  the  first 
Monday  of  last  January,  the  printing  of  an  elementary  schuol- 
2 


10 


book  was  commenced,  iu  a language  never  before  reduced  to  wri- 
ting; and  that  the  number  of  readers  will  be  multiplied,  faster  than 
tbs  translations  and  printing  can  be  executed. 

We  know,  dear  brethren,  that  you  bum  with  an  anxious  desire 
fo  have  some  share  in  the  high  and  holy  ministration  of  raising  a 
perishing  people  from  their  degradation  and  ruin,  and  of  inducing 
them  to  accept  the  blessings  of  Christianity  and  civilization.  We 
know'  that  you  will  count  with  solicitude  the  days  and  the  hours5 
which  must  intervene,  before  you  can  engage  in  this  divine  em- 
ployment. 

But  while  you  eagerly  teach  letters  to  the  rising  generation, 
and  attempt  to  form  habits  of  industry,  and  order,  and  domestic 
virtue  in  your  pupils,  you  will  never  give  countenance  to  the  pop- 
ular error,  that  men  must  be  civilized  before  they  can  receive  the 
Gospel.  You  are  well  aware,  that  an  ignorant  and  heathen  peo- 
ple never  can  be  civilized  without  the  Gospel.  There  has  not 
been  an  instance,  since  the  first  promulgation  of  Christianity,  of  a 
barbarous  nation  brought  into  a state  of  well-regulated  society,  un- 
less by  the  means  and  motives,  which  true  religion  alone  can  fur- 
nish. You  may,  indeed,  easily  prove  to  a heathen  and  a savage, 
that  good  laws,  wholesome  restraint,  constant  occupation,  and  a 
regular  discharge  of  the  domestic  duties,  are  favorable  to  the  en- 
joyment of  this  life;  but  when  your  proof  is  ended,  what  have  you 
accomplished? 

“Alas,  leviathan  is  not  so  tam'd/5— 

All  the  motives,  which  can  be  drawn  from  this  world,  are  en- 
tirely vain  and  ineffectual  to  reclaim  from  a vagrant  life,  to  res- 
train unbridled  passion,  to  soften  ferocity,  and  to  implant  a con- 
trolling principle,  which  shall  operate  in  the  whole  conduct.  You 
will  not  leave  out  of  your  estimate  that  religion  which  came  down 
from  heaven,  and  which  is  incomparably  the  most  powerful  agent  in 
transforming  the  human  character; — the  only  agent,  indeed,  which 
can  make  a thorough  transformation.  What!  Shall  God  be  ex- 
cluded from  operating  on  the  souls  which  he  formed,  by  means  of 
the  truth  which  he  revealed  for  that  very  purpose?  Shall  Christ 
have  no  share  in  bringing  to  virtue  and  to  happiness  the  immortal 
beings  whom  he  died  to  save?  Shall  the  Holy  Spirit  he  debarred 
from  exerting  the  most  beneficent  agency,  till  man’s  wisdom  shall 
have  prepared  the  way  by  a process,  which  he  fondly  hopes  will 


11 


end  in  civilization?  You  indulge  not,  my  brethren,  in  these  dreams 
of  a vain  philosophy.  You  have  not  so  learned  the  Gospel.  Preach, 
then,  the  glad  tidings  of  Christ’s  pacification.  Make  known  the 
character  ofGod,  as  of  the  Great  and  Holy  One,  who  is  infinitely  op- 
posed to  sin  in  every  form,  and  who  will  call  every  work  into  judg- 
ment with  every  secret  thing.  Describe  the  character  of  man  a3 
it  is,  depraved,  unholy,  and  enslaved  to  sin;  and  you  need  not  fear 
but  its  likeness  will  be  recognized.  Urge  sinners  of  every  class 
and  condition  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  The  plain  truths, 
which  are  important  to  salvation,  are  as  easily  understood,  even 
by  the  rudest  people,  as  the  plainest  principles  of  morals,  or  the 
elements  of  human  science.  Rely  on  the  means  which  God  has 
appointed,  and  you  will  not  fail  of  ultimate  success.  If  God  should 
honor  your  instrumentality  as  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  civilization, 
purity  of  morals,  refinement  of  intellect  and  of  manners,  will  fol- 
low of  course. 

The  question  whether  God  will  use  human  instrumentality  in 
the  conversion  of  heathens,  is  not  now  to  be  settled.  You  know 
the  promises;  you  know  on  what  occasion,  and  by  whom,  the  com- 
mand was  given:  Go  ye  into  all  the  world , and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature:  a command  perfectly  intelligible,  and  of  universal 
obligation,  so  long  as  there  is  a Christian  to  hear  it,  or  a pagan  to 
be  converted.  This  command  would  alone  be  altogether  decisive; 
but  it  is  supported  by  the  whole  tenor  of  prophecy,  and  by  the 
broad  principle  of  Christian  benevolence.  It  is  only  by  obedience 
to  this  command,  that  any  part  of  the  heathen  world  has  been 
converted  to  Christianity.  It  was  by  the  labors  of  missionaries, 
that  all  the  nations  of  Europe,  and  our  ancestors  among  the  rest, 
were  brought,  many  centuries  ago,  within  the  hearing  of  the  Gos- 
pel. And  now,  within  a few  years  past,  what  astonishing  exhibi- 
tions of  the  power  of  divine  truth  on  the  hearts  of  heathens,  have 
been  made  in  South  Africa,  Sierra  Leone,  Bengal,  Ceylon,  the 
wilderness  of  our  own  country; — and  especially  in  the  Society 
Islands.  The  instance  last  mentioned  must  be  peculiarly  interest- 
ing to  you,  as  the  circumstances  of  the  inhabitants  greatly  resem- 
bled those  of  the  people,  to  whose  service  your  powers  are  conse- 
crated. 

The  change  in  the  Society  Islands  is  not  only  more  extensive, 
than  the  most  sanguine  friend  of  missions  ventured  to  predict,  or 
oven  to  hope;  but  the  universality  of  the  change,  within  the  short 


12 


period  of  ten  years  since  it  began,  is  unexampled  in  the  history  of 
Christianity.  A nation  of  stupid  idolaters,  enslaved  to  the  most 
degrading  superstitions,  have  become  a Christian  people,  regularly 
observant  of  the  Sabbath  and  of  public  worship,  habitually  prac- 
tising family  prayer,  and  many  of  them  giving  satisfactory  evi- 
dence of  personal  religion.  A nation  of  idle,  and  dissolute  sava- 
ges have  become  sober,  chaste,  and  temperate.  From  being  false 
and  perfidious,  intriguing,  revengeful,  cruel  and  malicious,  they 
have  become  honest  and  faithful,  placing  confidence  in  each  other, 
and  showing  themselves  worthy  of  confidence.  A few  years  since 
they  were  totally  ignorant  on  all  moral  subjects;  now  they  are 
well  instructed  in  religion,  and  formed  into  churches;  they  meet 
for  the  worship  of  God  in  buildings  which  their  own  hands  have 
erected  for  the  purpose;  and  multitudes  read  in  their  own  language 
the  wonderful  works  of  God,  translated  and  printed  by  missiona- 
ries on  the  spot. 

These  facts  are  familiar  to  you,  my  brethren;  you  know  the 
evidence  on  which  they  rest  to  be  incontrovertible.  1 recount 
them,  not  to  inform  your  minds,  but  to  cheer  your  hearts,  on  the 
present  solemn  occasion,  with  these  specimens  of  what  may,  by 
the  divine  blessing,  be  accomplished  through  your  agency.  Lift 
up  your  voices,  then,  daily  with  the  importunate  supplication,  that 
the  mighty  works  which  the  Redeemer  has  wrought  in  Tahiti  and 
Eimeo,  the  same  he  would  also  perform  in  Atooi  and  Owhyhee. 

You  take  with  you,  as  an  interesting  part  of  your  family,  three 
natives  of  islands  in  the  Pacific;  who,  having  received  the  benefit 
of  Christian  instruction  at  the  Foreign  Mission  School,  and  having, 
as  we  trust,  experienced  the  power  of  divine  truth  upon  their 
hearts,  are  now  about  returning  to  the  land  of  their  fathers.  These 
youths  are  committed  to  you  as  a precious  deposit.  They  will  be 
exposed  to  many  dangers  and  temptations;  and  the  utmost  vigi- 
lance, both  in  you  and  in  them,  may  be  the  means,  which  God 
will  use  in  preserving  them.  When  further  instructed,  they  may 
be  of  important  service,  in  various  departments  of  your  work. 
Cherish  them  most  kindly  and  tenderly,  not  only  as  pupils,  but  as 
Christian  brethren;  and  may  the  Great  Shepherd  recognize  them 
as  lambs  of  his  flock,  and  bring  them  to  his  fold. 

To  you,  dear  brethren,  and  to  the  beloved  companions  of  your 
bosoms,  the  partners  of  your  joys  and  sorrows,  are  these  instructions 
given,  with  most  affectionate  desires  for  your  weltare.  They  are 


13 


addressed  to  you  jointly,  and  severally,  so  far  as  they  may  be  ap- 
plicable to  your  respective  circumstances  and  relations. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  we  remind  you  of  the  high  embassy,  on 
which  you  are  sent.  Always  remember  the  dignity  of  your  cal- 
ling. This  will  not  foster  pride.  It  will  rather  be  a perpetual 
prompter  to  humility.  Let  who  will  mistake  the  nature  of  the 
missionary  office,  be  sure  that  you  never  forget  it  yourselves. 

Indeed,  my  brethren,  you  are  made  a spectacle  to  angels  and  to 
•men.  The  missionary  vows  are  upon  you;  and  you  cannot  go  back. 

But  were  it  possible  that  you  should  hesitate  on  the  subject,  it 
were  better,  infinitely  better,  that  you  should  abandon  your  long 
cherished  design  now,  than  at  any  time  hereafter.  You  have  vol- 
untarily offered  yourselves,  after  much  self-examination  and  pray- 
er, for  the  service  of  Christ  among  the  heathen.  Me  graciously 
accepts  every  cheerful  sacrifice,  made  from  a tender  regard  to  the 
souls  for  whom  he  died;  and  in  the  great  and  solemn  day,  when 
your  labors  of  charity  and  kindness  to  the  people  of  Owhyhee  shall 
be  acknowledged,  Me  will  say,  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren , ye  have  done  it  unto  me. 

Though  your  first  responsiblity  be  to  Christ,  as  the  Lord  of  Mis- 
sions, there  is  also  a responsibility  of  no  light  character  to  his 
church  on  earth.  Yes,  dear  brethren,  the  friends  of  missions  in 
our  own  land  have  a hold  on  you,  which  they  will  never  consent 
to  relinquish;  and  you  are  thus  laid  under  obligations,  from  which 
you  never  can  be  absolved.  Nor  are  you  to  look  at  this  country 
alone,  when  you  contemplate  the  effect  of  your  labors,  your  repu- 
tation, your  influence  upon  the  great  Christian  public.  Such  is 
the  facility  with  which  missionary  intelligence  is  communicated, 
and  such  the  eagerness  with  which  it  is  received,  not  only  here, 
but  in  every  part  of  Great  Britain,  in  many  parts  of  continental 
Europe,  and  at  all  the  missionary  stations  in  every  region  of  (he 
world,  that  your  character  is  the  common  properly  of  Christen- 
dom; and  you  act  under  the  perpetual  inspection  of  immense  mul- 
titudes of  the  children  of  God,  including  in  their  number  many  of  / 

the  wisest  and  best  of  mankiud.  Think  not,  that  because  you 
traverse  eighteen  thousand  miles  of  ocean,  you  will  therefore  be 
unnoticed  and  alone. 

In  the  present  state  of  missionary  exertions,  every  member  of 
the  misson  family  has  it  in  his  power  to  aid,  or  to  injure,  the  cause, 
tc>  an  extent  greater  than  words  can  describe.  Should  any  of  your 


14 


number  prove  essentially  defective  in  Christian  and  missionary 
character; — my  heart  recoils  at  the  thought; — should  your  con- 
duct bring  reproach  upon  that  holy  enterprise,  in  which  you  are 
embarked; — you  will  not  only  clothe  in  sackcloth  the  friends  of 
the  Redeemer  throughout  our  widely  extended  country;  but,  as 
the  pages  of  the  missionary  magazine  are  turned  over,  by  people 
in  remote  climes,  and  of  different  languages,  you  will  fill  w ith  sor- 
row the  heart  of  many  a Scottish  peasant,  as  he  sits  down  to  sol- 
ace his  evening’s  fireside,  and  falls  unexpectedly  upon  your  disas- 
trous story:  you  will  wring  tears  from  many  a pious  widow  in 
Switzerland, — 1 had  almost  said  from  the  very  rocks,  which  over- 
shadow her  humble  habitation.  The  converted  Tahitian  will 
stand  aghast  and  confounded,  when  he  hears  of  your  fall;  and  your 
brother  missionaries,  in  so  many  distant  regions,  will  hang  their 
harps  on  the  willow’s: — their  hands  will  be  paralyzed;  their  mouths 
will  be  silent,  unless  opened  for  the  melancholy  exclamation,  Tell 
it  not  in  Gath. 

But  of  this  sad  picture  there  is  a delightful  reverse.  If  you 
adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  your  Savior  in  all  things; — if  you  are 
found  faithful,  and  laborious,  and  devoted  servants  of  Christ; — if 
each  revolving  year  bears  cheering  testimony  of  your  persever- 
ance;— if  your  Christian  virtues  shine  with  greater  and  still  great- 
er brightness; — whatever  your  immediate  success  may  be,  every 
page  of  your  history  will  be  read  with  unspeakable  interest  by  the 
thousands  of  our  Israel.  Tour  exemplary  devotedness  will  kindle 
new  zeal,  when  known  at  the  monthly  assemblies,  at  which  pray- 
er is  offered  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  It  will  strength- 
en your  fellow-laborers  in  India  and  Ceylon,  in  our  western  wil- 
derness and  in  Palestine.  The  joyful  tidings  of  your  success  will 
penetrate  the  desolate  regions  of  Kamschatka,  and  meet  the  enter- 
prising missionary,  as  he  traverses  Siberia,  or  fixes  his  dwelling- 
place  on  the  shores  of  the  Caspian. 

And  when  it  shall  be  told,  that  your  Divine  Master  has  remov- 
ed you  from  the  field  of  your  labors  on  earth,  though  the  tear  of 
friendship  may  dim  the  vision  for  a moment,  a smile  of  heavenly 
origin  shall  fix  upon  the  countenance  ©f  survivors,  while  they 
think  of  your  triumph,  and  your  eternal  reward. 


INSTRUCTIONS 


OF  THE  PRUDENTIAL  COMMITTEE  TO  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  GOODELL,  AND 
THE  REV.  ISAAC  BIRD,  ABOUT  TO  BE  ATTACHED  TO  THE  PALESTINE 
MISSION,  DELIVERED  BY  THE  CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY,  IN  THE 
PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  CEDAR  STREET,  NEW  YORK,  ON  THURSDAY, 
DEC.  5,  1822. 


Dear  Brethren, 

The  hour  is  near,  when  you  expect  to  leave  the  shores  of  your 
native  land,  with  the  probability  that  you  will  never  see  them  again. 
You  go  for  a purpose,  which  has  long  been  held  in  contemplation, 
and  for  the  accomplishment  of  which  your  ardent  prayers  have 
been  continually  offered.  The  call  must  be  urgent,  which  can  in- 
duce you  to  bid  farewell  to  country,  relatives  and  friends; — to  re- 
nounce for  life  all  the  objects,  of  a temporal  nature,  to  which  you 
have  been  accustomed,  and  many  of  which  are  endeared  to  you 
by  a thousand  tender  associations; — and  to  take  up  your  abode,  or 
rather  to  enter  upon  a pilgrimage,  among  strangers  and  foreign- 
ers, men  of  diverse  languages  and  uncongenial  habits,  with  the 
prospect  of  incessant  labor  and  care  and  responsibility. 

On  such  an  occasion  you  will  receive  with  peculiar  interest  the 
instructions  now  to  be  offered,  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  the  Board, 
under  whose  direction  you  enter  upon  your  missionary  work. 

Proceeding  from  this  place  to  Malta,  on  board  the  vessel  made 
ready  for  your  accommodation,  you  will  there  seek  a temporary 
residence,  and  prepare  yourselves  for  ulterior  duties;  without  neg- 
lecting, however,  any  means  of  immediate  usefulness.  The  first 
thing,  which  will  claim  your  attention,  is  the  thorough  acquisition 
of  the  languages  spoken  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean, 
and  by  the  inhabitants  of  Western  Asia.  In  this  labor  you  will  de- 
rive great  assistance  from,  your  brethren  now  in  the  field,  wh© 


1G 


have  trodden  the  same  path  before  you;  and  whose  solicitude  fof 
your  improvement  and  effectual  co-operation,  will  add  a peculiar 
value  to  their  fraternal  directions.  Nor  will  you  find  these  studies 
barren  of  good.  Almost  all  your  translations,  which  in  other  case* 
would  be  a mere  scholastic  exercise,  may  be  turned  to  an  immedi- 
ate account,  in  the  promotion  of  religious  knowledge  among  the 
multitudes  around  you.  Not  a tract,  or  a school-book,  can  you 
publish,  in  any  of  the  languages  spoken  in  those  interesting  regions, 
without  finding  a great  population  in  need  of  it4  and  numbers  anx- 
ious to  receive  it. 

This  consideration  is  particularly  important,  as  the  liberal  pro  - 
vision for  the  press,  now  established  with  the  permission  of  the 
local  government,  and  probably  just  commencing  its  operations, 
affords  great  encouragement  to  your  evangelical  labors.  It  may 
be  rationally  hoped,  that  this  distinguished  advantage,  possessed 
at  so  early  a period  of  your  mission,  will  not  only  greatly  aid  you, 
in  every  department  of  your  work,  but  operate  as  an  example  of 
successful  enterprise,  and  thus  exert  a salutary  influence  upon 
other  missions  at  their  commencement.  What  can  be  more  ani- 
mating than  the  thought  of  dispensing  the  lessons  of  heavenly 
wisdom,  in  the  form  of  portions  of  Scripture,  school-books,  and 
tracts,  to  so  many  different  classes  of  persons,  many  of  them  just 
awaking  to  thought,  to  inquiry,  and  to  the  consciousness  that  they 
are  rational  beings.  What  a delightful  agency  must  that  be,  which 
shall  give  a happy  impulse  to  the  characters  of  multitudes,  who 
are  preparing  to  take  a different  part  in  the  affairs  of  mankind, 
from  any  that  their  fathers  have  taken.  The  spirit  of  the  age  is 
at  work  in  many  countries.  Stupendous  results  must  be  expected. 
Happy  they,  who  are  engaged  in  turning  every  change,  in  the 
circumstances  of  men,  to  some  good  account  in  their  divine  Master's 
cause.  Malta  is  a place  eminently  favorable  to  the  diffusion  of 
knowledge,  and  to  missionary  enterprise.  That  indefatigable  la- 
borer, Mr.  Jowett,  has  written  to  the  Society,  under  whose  direc- 
tion he  acts,  that  he  could  find  abundant  employment  there,  for 
twenty  able  and  faithful  missionaries;  and  that,  by  the  time  these 
were  fairly  engaged  in  their  work,  or  fitted  for  active  service  in 
other  countries,  there  would  be  room  for  twenty  more.  It  is  in 
a high  degree  probable,  that  this  will  be  a radiating  point,  whence 
light  will  be  sent  forth  into  all  the  surrounding  countries,  for  many 
years  to  come.  The  salubrity  of  its  climate,  the  security  afforded 


17 


by  the  present  government,  the  free  communication  which  is  thence 
maintained  with  all  the  ports  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  fact 
that  so  many  foreigners  resort  thither  from  distant  regions,  afford 
great  facilities  for  the  accomplishment  of  benevolent  designs. 

Your  ultimate  destination,  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  of  mis- 
sions, is  the  land  of  Judea;  and  the  particular  place  of  your  resi- 
dence, the  ancient  city  of  David.  It  i3  far  from  your  wishes  to 
cultivate  a superstitious  reverence  for  any  place  on  earth;  or  to 
indulge  the  thought,  that  the  humble,  believing  soul  may  not  as 
easily  rise  to  heaven  from  the  most  retired  corner  of  the  globe,  as 
from  this  centre  of  the  ancient  world,  consecrated  by  the  prayers  of 
patriarchs,  and  the  blood  of  martyrs.  Yet  who  could  behold  with- 
out emotion  those  hills,  on  which  Moses  fastened  his  dying  eye 
from  beyond  the  Jordan?  Who  could  survey  without  intense  inter- 
est the  plains  and  fountains,  with  which  Joshua  and  Samuel,  Elijah 
and  Isaiah,  were  once  familiar?  Whose  mind  would  not  be  struck 
with  awe,  as  he  looked  upon  the  place,  where  the  stupendous 
plan  of  the  world’s  redemption  was  unfolded?  the  country,  where 
He,  who  was  the  son  of  David  and  the  Son  of  God,  appeared  in 
the  form  of  a servant,1 'wrought  miracles,  uttered  his  divine  instruc- 
tions, illustrated  his  teaching  by  his  own  spotless  example,  and 
offered  up  his  life  as  a sacrifice  for  sin?  the  city,  where  he  rose 
from  the  dead,  comforted  his  disciples,  commanded  them  to  pub- 
lish the  Gospel  throughout  the  world,  and  whence  he  ascended  to 
heaven? 

You  will  endeavor,  dear  brethren,  to  fix  yourselves  in  this  in- 
teresting spot,  as  soon  as  you  can  do  it  with  the  requisite  prepara- 
tions, and  with  the  prospect  of  making  a judicious  application  of 
your  powers  and  faculties  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  people. 
After  three  months  residence  at  Jerusalem,  your  beloved  brother 
Parsons  considered  it  a place  of  unrivalled  importance,  as  the  cen- 
tre of  missionary  operations;  and  one  that  is  to  be  occupied,  if 
possible.  It  comforted  him,  on  his  dying  pillow,  that  God  had  en- 
abled him  to  act  as  a pioneer  to  succeeding  laborers. 

It  ever  there  was  a missionary  station,  in  which  the  persons  en- 
gaged would  be  continually  prompted  to  fidelity,  that  to  which 
you,  dear  brethren,  are  assigned,  is  the  very  station.  Every  time 
you  cast  your  eyes  on  Gethsemane  and  Calvary,  you  will  be  re- 
minded of  the  sufferings  which  your  Savior  bore  for  your  sins,  and 
for  the  sins  ol  your  brethren  of  the  human  family.  When  you  walk 


13 


over  Mount  Olivet,  you  will  think  how  frequently  the  same  glori- 
ous Personage,  in  the  daysofhis  humiliation,  passed  that  way,  on 
his  visits  of  kindness  to  the  friends  whom  he  loved.  As  you  look 
back  upon  the  devoted  city,  in  which  the  abomination  that  maketh 
desolate  has  so  long  been  set  up,  you  will  remember  with  what 
compassion  and  tenderness  the  blessed  Jesus  wept  over  it.  As 
you  cast  your  eyes  to  the  south,  you  will  see  the  village  of  Beth- 
lehem, where  the  wise  men  worshipped  the  infant  Savior;  as  you 
turn  to  the  north,  you  will  gaze  upon  Mount  Zion,  so  long  the  em- 
blem of  the  church  on  earth  and  the  church  in  heaven.  By  all 
these  external  objects  be  excited  to  unremitting  diligence,  to  la- 
borious industry,  to  a close  and  humble  walk  with  God,  to  ardent 
aspirations  after  eminent  holiness.  The  very  stones  of  the  pave- 
ment would  seem  to  cry  out  against  unfaithfulness  in  this  consecra- 
ted region;  as  the  very  hills  and  vallies  would  lift  up  the  voice  ot 
joy  and  gratulation,  at  the  revival  of  genuine  religion  in  a place, 
which  formerly  enjoyed  the  peculiar  presence  of  Jehovah,  but 
has  now  lain,  for  so  many  dark  and  dismal  ages,  under  the  distinct 
and  visible  expression  of  his  anger. 

In  considering  Western  Asia  and  the  neighboring  parts  of  Africa, 
as  fields  of  missionary  labor,  it  is  obvious  that  a large  portion  of 
present  exertions  must  be  applied  to  exploring  the  state  of  these 
countries,  and  opening  channels  in  which  the  waters  of  life  may 
hereafter  flow  to  refresh  many  nations.  It  is  probable  that  one 
of  you,  in  company  with  one  or  more  of  your  brethren  now  in  the 
field,  may  find  it  conducive  to  your  great  design,  to  spend  every 
winter,  for  many  years  to  come,  in  exploring  tours.  Egypt  now 
presents  a very  inviting  aspect  to  inquiries  of  this  sort;  and  is  fa- 
vored with  a more  enlightened  government,  than  any  other  coun- 
try under  the  domination  of  Mohammedan  rulers.  The  press  is 
there  beginning  to  exert  its  influence;  and  a favorable  prospect 
appears  of  introducing  schools,  on  an  extensive  plan.  While  trav- 
ellers are  ransacking  the  most  remote  corners  of  this  ancient  seat 
of  the  arts,  from  motives  of  curiosity,  or  of  gain,  shall  not  the 
church  have  her  agents  employed;  not  to  rake  out,  from  the  dust 
of  thirty  centuries,  the  remains  of  dead  men;  but  to  impart  to  men 
dead  in  sin  that  eternal  life,  which  is  brought  to  light  in  the 
Gospel. 

It  may  be  thought,  that  the  present  troubles  in  the  Turkish  em- 
pire will  interpose  a serious  obstacle  to  missionary  efforts.  Suffer 


19 


not  your  minds  to  be  discouraged  by  this  apprehension.  The  pre- 
cise  issue  of  the  present  political  commotions,  in  that  part  of  the 
world,  we  do  not  pretend  to  foresee;  but  it  is  the  opinion  of  men 
best  informed  on  the  subject,  that  the  result  will  be,  and  at  no 
distant  period,  favorable  to  the  dissemination  of  knowledge  and  re- 
ligion. But  suppose  it  were  otherwise;  and,  to  the  view  of  the 
mere  politician,  nothing  appeared  in  prospect  but  interminable 
ages  of  cruel  oppression — of  bloody  superstition  and  relentless 
massacre; — is  the  opinion  of  the  mere  politician  to  be  the  rule  of 
duty  for  the  Christian  church,  in  regard  to  her  operations  for  the 
diffusion  of  light  and  life  in  the  regions  of  darkness  and  moral 
death?  Is  she  to  remain  inactive  and  inglorious,  and  to  defer  her 
spiritual  conquests,  till  the  god  of  this  world  is  willing  to  surrender 
his  dominion,  and  to  release  his  victims?  Is  she  never  to  read  the 
plain  command  of  her  Savior,  written  as  with  a sunbeam,  till, 
through  the  glass  of  worldly  wisdom,  she  can  see  plainly  enough 
to  spell  out  the  ambiguous  indications  of  political  changes?  The 
church  is  to  enlighten  the  world,  and  not  to  wait  till  the  darkness, 
which  broods  over  the  nations,  shall  dissipate  itself.  The  princi- 
ples of  the  Gospel  are  to  control  and  to  subdue  the  jarring  passions 
of  men,  and  not  to  suspend  their  divine  influence,  till  these  pas- 
sions shall  die  without  a struggle. 

In  whatever  department  of  your  labors  you  may  be  employed, 
dear  brethren,  let  it  be  always  your  endeavor  to  discharge  with 
vigor  and  fidelity  the  duties  of  each  day.  Whether  you  are  occu- 
pied in  preparatory  studies,  or  in  superintending  the  press;  wheth- 
er you  are  travelling  in  the  passage-boat  of  an  Egyptian  canal,  or 
pitching  your  tent  on  the  east  of  the  Red  Sea,  or  spending  your 
summers  at  the  loot  of  Mount  Lebanon;  whether  you  read  the 
Scriptures  with  pilgrims  in  the  Holy  City,  or  issue  from  its  gates 
with  Bibles  and  tracts  to  be  distributed  in  Armenia; — whether  in 
the  house  or  by  the  way,  in  the  city  or  the  field,  remember  that 
you  are  the  servants  of  Christ. 

For  many  years,  during  the  period  of  your  education,  jou  have 
been  preparing  for  this  day.  No  time  is  to  be  lost.  You  will  find 
multitudes  ol  perishing  souls,  in  every  region  which  you  visit.  To 
them  make  the  proclamation  of  mercy,  through  faith  in  a Savior. 
Disregarding  modes  and  forms,  as  things  of  quite  inferior  magni- 
tude, aim  directly  at  the  heart.  Press  home  upon  the  conscience 
the  guilt  of  transgression,  and  the  lost  condition  of  the  impenitent 


20 


sinner.  Thus  may  you  hope,  by  a declaration  of  the  simple  truths 
of  the  Gospel,  to  gain  attention,  to  impress  conviction,  and,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  to  produce  an  entire  renovation,  in  the  character 
of  some  immortal  beings,  who  shall  be  the  seals  of  your  ministry, 
and  the  crowns  of  your  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

A delightful  part  of  your  duty  will  be  to  cultivate  the  most  en- 
dearing union  among  those,  who  are  embarked  in  the  same  cause: 
not  only  with  your  brethren,  attached  to  the  same  mission,  but 
with  the  missionaries  of  other  societies,  the  agents  for  distributing 
Bibles  and  tracts,  travellers  who  wish  to  promote  the  progress  of 
Christianity,  and  all  who  love  your  Savior  and  wait  for  his  appear- 
ing. The  hearty  co-operation  of  men  belonging  to  different  com- 
munions, and  engaged  in  different  employments,  you  will  endeavor 
to  secure  for  the  extension  of  our  common  Gospel. 

Let  it  be  an  object  with  you  to  discover  new  modes  of  access 
to  the  minds  of  the  people  where  you  may  be,  and  the  speediest 
and  most  efficacious  method  of  bringing  divine  truth  into  contact 
with  the  conscience  and  the  heart.  Probably  great  improvements 
are  yet  to  be  made,  in  both  these  respects.  Paul  declares  it  to 
be  a characteristic  of  pagan  nations,  that  they  are  inventers  of  evil 
things;  and  it  should  be  a prominent  trait  in  the  character  of  those, 
who  aim  to  subvert  paganism,  and  every  false  religion,  that  they 
are  inventers  of  good  things.  Do  not  suffer  yourselves,  however, 
to  be  led  astray  by  crude  speculations  or  hasty  conclusions.  In 
regard  to  any  measures  for  the  prosecution  of  your  work,  examine 
faithfully,  judge  deliberate!}',  and  act  perseveringly. 

You  go,  dear  brethren,  as  embassadors  in  a double  capacity. 
In  common  with  all  the  ministers  of  Christ,  you  are  his  embassa- 
dors to  your  fellow  sinners,  charged  to  proclaim  the  glad  tidings 
of  his  pacification,  and  to  urge  the  acceptance  of  his  gracious 
offers.  You  are  also  embassadors  from  the  churches  in  this  coun- 
try to  their  suffering  fellow  men  in  the  eastern  world.  From  a 
continent  but  recently  discovered,  you  carry  back  the  knowledge 
of  the  Scriptures  and  of  salvation  to  regions  where  flourishing 
churches  once  stood,  but  where  the  power  of  religion  has  loDg 
ceased  to  exist.  As  our  Christian  community  cannot  go  in  a body 
to  deliver  the  message  of  their  Lord,  they  send  you  to  deliver  it 
for  them.  Whatever  you  have  learned  of  God’s  merciful  designs 
to  a guilty  world, — whatever  of  the  excellency  of  Christian  socie- 
ty on  earth  as  preparatory  to  the  blessedness  of  heaven, — comma- 


21 


nicate  all  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  as  the  messengers  of  our 
churches. 

And  now,  beloved  brethren,  with  most  affectionate  desires  for 
your  welfare,  and  that  of  the  dear  partners  of  your  lives,  who  ac_ 
company  you,  we  heartily  commend  you  to  God,  and  to  the  word 
of  his  grace.  You  go  attended  by  the  best  wishes  of  numerous 
Christian  brethren,  with  whom  you  are  personally  acquainted,  and 
of  still  greater  multitudes,  whom  you  have  never  seen,  though 
they  are  one  with  you  in  spirit,  and  rejoice  with  you  in  the  same 
hope  of  an  heavenly  calling.  Their  prayers  will  continually  as- 
cend in  your  behalf,  and  will  importunately  ask,  that  divine  wisdom 
may  be  imparted  to  you,  and  that  in  the  language  of  the  Apostle, 
yon  may  not  run  in  vain.  Let  this  thought  comfort  you,  through 
the  whole  course  of  your  uncertain  pilgrimage. 

Receive,  then,  the  parting  benediction  of  the  Society,  by  whose 
instrumentality  you  are  sent  forth,  and  of  American  Christians, 
wherever  scattered  through  our  widely  extended  country.  May 
the  blessing  of  Abraham’s  God  rest  upon  you.  May  you  be  de- 
fended from  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  the  de- 
struction that  wasteth  at  noon-day.  May  your  labors  be  prosper- 
ous in  their  beginning,  and  triumphant  in  their  issue.  May  your 
lives  ever  bear  a consistent  and  powerful  testimony  to  the  religion 
of  your  Savior.  May  you  experience  the  full  import  of  his  de- 
claration, Lo,  I am  with  you  alway , even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 
May  you  know  what  it  is  to  overcome , in  the  great  war,  which  the 
Captain  of  your  salvation  is  waging  with  the  powers  of  darkness, 
and  thus  you  will  be  pillars  in  the  temple  of  your  God , and  go  no 
more  out  for  ever. 


/ 


